Making the festive delicacy at home - Htamane(အေမ့လက္ရာ ထမနဲ)

This is another traditional savoury dish from the lovely cuisine of Myanmar. Htamane(ထမနဲ) is ceremonially prepared on the full moon day of Tabodwe(တပို႔တြဲ), the 11th lunar month on the traditional Burmese calendar (around the month of February). It is also an indication of the end of winter. In Myanmar, a large quantity of htamane is usually prepared in an open space at monasteries.

Ingredients:

1. Glutinous rice
2. sesame seeds
3. Garlic
4. Ginger
5. peanuts
6. shredded coconut
7. salt for seasoning

This is my mother's method of making htamane at home so it will be slightly different from the traditional way of making htamane. It is simple to make. This year, my mother made this traditional snack on my birthday. Thank you May May for such a great tasting snack!

Method

Heat up oil in the wok.

Then add in the ginger and give it a quick stir.

Now add in the garlic and stir-fry until they are fragrant and golden brown.

Remove the garlic and ginger from the wok. You can leave some of it. 

 

Add in the glutinous rice and stir well.

Add in water and stir gently. 

Cover with the lid and let it cook for about 20-25 minutes over a medium heat.

 

Peanuts, sesame seeds, shredded coconut  as well as crispy garlic and ginger are all added to the wok. Stir well.

I believe this is important. 

You need to hold two spatulas as shown in the photo below to mix the glutinous rice into a dough. You need to do this continuously for about 15-20 minutes.

My Mum's simple homemade festive delicacy.

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potato patties with minced chicken

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Kaw bouk (ေခါပုတ္)

Yesterday, my mother managed to buy “half ready-made” kaw bouk from Myanmar (Burma) shop. This is one of my favourite snacks which I used to indulge in whenever my family went to visit my father’s hometown Kan Balu. Eager to share the recipe of this yummy snack with my readers , I asked my mother about it. Trust me… this snack tastes a whole lot better than it looks! So when you visit our golden land, please give it a try.

Ingredients needed are

Black or white glutinous rice

Black toasted sesame seeds

White toasted sesame seeds

Water

Salt

Oil

Kaw bouk (ေခါပုတ္) making

First, toasted sesame seeds are added into a huge mortar and coarsely pounded. Then add in the steamed glutinous rice and pound it together until it turns into a smooth, sticky paste. Remember to sprinkle salt to the mixture. Salt is the only seasoning that you need. Occasionally, you need to add in small amount of water. Pounding the glutinous rice is time-consuming as well as tedious. You can rub oil to the pestle or simply add oil to the mixture to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pestle. Once you have obtained a smooth and sticky paste you can shape it into any shape you like. Then, dry it under the sun so that you can keep kaw bouk pieces for a long period of time.

Kaw bouk can be eaten with boiled yellow beans (pe pyote), homemade tomatoes sauce or sugar.

  Sharing some old family photos back in Myanmar(Burma)....

My brother posing together with our cousins

 Toasting kaw bouk with Uncles, Aunts and cousins.

You can either toast or fry kaw bouk.  

One of our Grandmas also joining in :) 

Fun time with our relatives!

Really miss those days...

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This is my homemade tasty appetizer. This appetizer is inspired by the exotic flavours of India.

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Burmese Fermented Tea Leaf Salad (Lephet Thoke)

Burma is one of very few countries where tea is eaten as well as drunk. Its pickled tea is unique in the region, and is not only regarded as the national delicacy but plays a significant role in Burmese society. Its place in the [1]cuisine of Myanmar is reflected by the following popular expression:

"Of all the fruit, the mango's the best; Of all the meat, pork's the best; Of all the leaves, lahpet's the best".

^{source :}

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahpet}

The beauty of this national delicacy is that we can add whatever suitable ingredients we like as well as different preparation techniques to change the taste, texture and presentation of this popular Burmese snack. In this recipe, i will be adding toasted chick peas powder to give this salad both a creamy texture as well as a nutty flavour. By the way, i have posted two posts on fermented tea leaf. Below are the links for these two posts.
How to marinate fermented tea leaves
Fermented tea leaves salad mixed with rice (lephet htamin)

Recipe for Lephet Thoke

First, marinate the fermented tea leaf (lephet) with oil, fish sauce and lime or lemon juice

Ingredients needed for Lephet Thoke

1. cabbage, thinly sliced

2. tomatoes, thinly sliced

3. onions or shallots, thinly sliced

4. dried shrimps

5. toasted chick peas powder

6. mixed crispy fried garlic, crispy fried yellow beans, roasted peanuts, 

    sunflower seeds and sesame seeds ( Ready-made)

Preparation

Add everything inside a big bowl and mix well.

Let's tuck in :)

You can eat this with garlic and green chili.

For a drink, a cup of hot Burmese tea goes well with this.

I hope you enjoy my recipes as much as i enjoy sharing these humble recipes on my blog.

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Chickpeas salad with potatoes

Hi my dear readers, long time no see!

Wish everyone has a good day :)

Let me share with you this new recipe - Chickpeas salad with potatoes.

Type of chickpea : Chana-Desi Kala (Cicer arietinum)

Common English name: Chickpeas, Garbanzo beans, Brown Chickpeas, Bengal-Gram
Skin colour : Brown

Serves : 1-2

Preparation Time : 1 hr

Ingredients

1. 
   
   3 potatoes
2. 
   
   1 cup of chickpeas
3. 
   
   1 tablespoon cooking oil
4. 
   
   1 onion, finely sliced
5. 
   
   1 teaspoon masala
6. 
   
   2 tablespoon tamarind juice
7. 
   
   seasons to taste
                                  

Rinse and drain the chickpeas.

Placed chickpeas and washed potatoes into a cooking pot and add enough water to cover the main ingredients. Cover the lid slightly ajar and cook over a medium heat for about 30 minutes. Then, reduce the heat and let it simmer until both are tender. Drain and let cool before peeling off the potatoes skin.

Note: If necessary, add small amount of water during the boiling process.

For dressing

 Heat oil in the saucepan over medium heat. 

Add masala into hot oil and turn off the heat.

Preparation

Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Put chickpeas into a salad bowl. Pour masala dressing over and toss well. Add sliced onions,tamarind juice, salt and ajinomoto. Mix all the ingredients well. That's it and ready to enjoy with a cup of hot green tea.

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